"He's one of those players who always gets in the fight"- Scott Styris on Axar Patel ahead of India vs Sri Lanka T20Is

Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris was delighted with how Axar Patel performed at the T20 World Cup and claimed that he expected such performances from the left-arm spinner. Axar scored a crucial 47 in the final as India beat South Africa by seven runs to lift the title.

Styris praised Axar's ability to adapt to the situation and to keep competing even in adverse situations. The former New Zealand all-rounder claimed that he already had Axar in his T20 World Cup squad much before it was announced.

Speaking to PTI, here's what Scott Styris had to say about Axar Patel:

"I'm a huge fan of Axar Patel. I picked him in my World Cup squad (of India) during the IPL. He's one of those players who always gets in the fight, always gets in the contest. His bad games are pretty good and you can rely on him. That's why we often see him floating up and down the order."

Styris also claimed that he always wanted Axar to bat higher up the order for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. India got the rewards by sending him at No. 5 in the final against South Africa.

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Scott Styris on Rinku Singh

Scott Styris wants to see Rinku Singh given a long rope in the Indian T20I team going forward. Despite having sensational numbers, Rinku missed out on the T20 World Cup squad and was only a traveling reserve. On this, Styris stated:

"I would still like to see Rinku come in first. The way he's performed for India, he hasn't done anything wrong. Just continue to let him do that role. But then if there's another opportunity, Axar certainly would be a floater in my team."

In 20 T20Is, Rinku has scored 416 runs at a sensational strike rate of 176.27 and an impressive average of 83.20.

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